NEW DELHI: The Women and Child Development Ministry has once again sounded an alert over fake forms in the name of 'Beti Bachao Beti Padhao', a flagship scheme of the Narendra Modi government.
In a public appeal today, the ministry said certain unauthorised sites/organisations/ NGOs/individuals were distributing illegal forms in the name of cash incentive under the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBPP) scheme.
"The scheme has no provision for individual cash transfer component by the Government of India. Beti Bachao Beti Padhao scheme focuses on challenging mindsets and deep rooted patriarchy in the societal system, strict enforcement of PC&PNDT Act and advancing education of the girl child. It is not a DBT (Direct Benefit Transfer) scheme," a release by the WCD ministry said.
On February 16, the ministry had issued a warning to the public to remain wary of such fraud.
However, reports claim that fake forms are still being sold to parents who are sending them to the ministry.
It was in March this year that the ministry approached the Delhi government and the police commissioner in the matter. WCD Minister Maneka Gandhi had also written to Uttar Pradesh Chief minister Yogi Adityanath earlier this month and asked him to crack down on the miscreants.
"The ministry was alerted when we started receiving a deluge of calls on the matter. The people wanted to know how they could get the money," said a senior official of the ministry.
Earlier this month, the Uttar Pradesh government had sounded a statewide alert against the scam, which promised cash incentive of Rs 1-2 lakh to parents of girls in the name of Beti Bachao Beti Padhao scheme.
Ministry sources said thousands are likely to have fallen prey to the scam.
They said the guidelines printed on the single page fake application form mentions that girls and women aged between 8 and 32 years are eligible to submit their applications under the scheme to the WCD ministry.
The ministry today said in its release that it has taken up the matter with the state authorities where the illegal activity has been reported, namely Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal.
"The warning in this regard has been broadcast several times by the ministry in print as well as electronic media. It has been advised that no personal details should be shared in this regard and no one should subscribe to such fraudulent practice," the release said.
"The general public is, therefore, once again advised not to fall prey to this fake and fraudulent information," it added.